The posting
Job Description
Within Human Health, our Global Oncology organization is currently recruiting for an Executive Director, Global Oncology – Breast Cancer, within Women’s Cancers, reporting to the Vice President, Women’s Cancers, sac-TMT and Early Commercial team.
This role is for a strategic leader with an enterprise mindset who is a self-starter, enjoys solving complex and strategic issues/topics, can effectively engage senior internal stakeholders, and thrives on leading and influencing broadly across the organization to drive positive, tangible outcomes across the Breast cancer portfolio. As a leader for the Women’s Cancers portfolio, the leader will partner closely with the leader for Gyn cancers to shape a connected Women’s Cancers portfolio strategy. Additionally, the leader will help build and develop a high performing team who will cultivate a winning attitude and resilience operating in a challenging and rapidly evolving therapeutic area.
Primary Responsibilities
The Executive Director, Global Oncology – Breast Cancer will be responsible for defining and executing the global commercial strategy for our Breast cancer portfolio, while partnering across Women’s Cancers to drive shared priorities, insights, and best practices. Key responsibilities include:
Set and lead the global Breast Cancer strategy
- Define the end-to-end global commercial strategy for current and future Breast cancer indications, ensuring it is aligned with and contributes to the broader Women’s Cancers strategy.
- Translate scientific innovation and clinical data into clear, differentiated value propositions and strategic frameworks for Breast cancer, including Market Overviews and Assessments, Target Product Profiles, and Forecasts.
- Ensure strategies are informed by robust insights into customers, competitors, and the evolving standard of care across key Breast cancer subtypes.
- Provide strategic partnership to various asset teams on development and commercialization strategies
- Steer the development and delivery of global sales forecast guidance for Breast cancer indications in collaboration with Asset Teams, Forecasting and Finance.
- Drive cross-functional and cross-regional alignment on key planning assumptions.
- Partner across Women’s Cancers with leaders of Gyn cancer portfolios to share insights and best practices, align on common customers, shared platforms and priorities, and coordinate resources and launch timing.
- Partner closely with key functions, including Global Market Access, Medical Affairs, Regulatory Affairs, Clinical Development, HEOR, Manufacturing, IP/Legal, Competitive Intelligence, and Finance to build integrated Breast cancer strategies and execution plans.
- Collaborate with Regional and Local Marketing Organizations to ensure local market needs and insights shape global Breast cancer strategy and to support in-market execution.
- Represent the commercial Breast cancer perspective in key internal governance forums and cross-functional asset/tumor teams, and contribute to Women’s Cancers-level discussions.
- Contribute to portfolio and business development discussions related to Breast cancer and Women’s Cancers, including assessment of external business development opportunities.
- Identify and drive impactful disease level initiatives that support the achievement of goals across the Breast cancer portfolio, and collaborate on initiatives that benefit the wider Women’s Cancers franchise (e.g., biomarker testing, early detection/screening initiatives).
Lead and develop a high-performing team
- Provide leadership/line management to a team of global marketers and/or tumor leads supporting the Breast cancer portfolio.
- Build and develop core commercial competencies and oncology expertise across the team, fostering talent development and succession planning.
- Champion our ways of working and drive a culture of collaboration, accountability, and innovation within the team and across Women’s Cancers.
- Manage ad hoc strategic and operational issues related to the Breast cancer portfolio, including access, supply, competitive response, and policy/environmental changes.
- Ensure timely communication and alignment with senior leaders on key risks, opportunities, and performance drivers within the Breast cancer business and its interdependencies across Women’s Cancers.
Key Leadership Competencies
- A dynamic executive with significant business acumen and demonstrated leadership in oncology and/or specialty pharmaceutical markets.
- Proven ability to articulate a compelling vision and direction for a complex, global tumor area and to translate that vision into clear strategies and execution plans.
- Inspirational and motivational personal leadership qualities that inspire trust, respect, credibility, and confidence of peers, colleagues, and external partners.
- Demonstrated ability to lead teams through ambiguity and organizational change, with a willingness to challenge the status quo.
- Strong collaboration skills and ability to influence without direct authority across geographies, cultures, functions, and peer tumor teams within Women’s Cancers.
- Action- and solution-oriented approach with a strong sense of accountability for business outcomes.
Education
- Required: Bachelor’s Degree
- Preferred: MD, MSc, PhD, MBA or other advanced degree in life sciences, business, or related field
Required Experience and Skills
- Minimum of 12 years experience in Pharmaceutical or Life Science commercial roles (e.g., marketing, access, insights, portfolio/brand management)
- Of the 12 years above, at least 2 years must be in marketing roles, with an emphasis on global marketing and on complex scientific therapeutic areas and/or highly competitive markets.
- Demonstrated experience in leading strategy development, portfolio/brand planning, and execution in a complex, highly regulated environment.
- Team leadership experience, including direct line management and/or leadership of cross-functional teams.
- Strong understanding of pharmaceutical market dynamics around the world, including the U.S. and key developed and emerging markets.
- Proven ability to effectively communicate complex scientific and business concepts, including to Senior Leadership.
- Strong problem-solving skills, analytical capability, and financial acumen (forecasting, business cases, investment decisions).
- Demonstrated track record of working effectively with cross-functional partners and creating alignment around strategic choices.
Preferred Experience and Skills
- Previous experience in Oncology (esp. Breast cancer, Gyn cancers), or related solid tumors.
- Experience with launch planning and execution for global assets (e.g., indication launches, label expansions).
- Experience in an advanced operating role in market.
- Experience working across multiple regions and cultures; secondary language(s) is a plus.
Travel
Up to 25% (including some international travel and occasional weekends, as business needs require).
Location
Rahway, NJ or Upper Gwynedd, PA (hybrid work model)
Required Skills:
Clinical Development, Critical Thinking, Data Analytics, Decision Making, Forecasting, Market Development, Market Research, Oncology Marketing, People Leadership, Problem Solving, Product Launch Support, Scientific Knowledge, Strategic Thinking
Preferred Skills:
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US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:
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As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit:
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The primary location for this posting is:
USA - New Jersey - Rahway
Where required by law, the compensation range for this role is provided below.
The salary range for the primary location of this role is:
$255,800.00 - $402,700.00
This range reflects the Company's reasonable expectation of the base salary applicable to this role at the time of posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs. The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.
We offer a comprehensive package of benefits. Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits.
Additional location(s): Please note the salary range above applies to the Primary Location of the position. Where a role has other listed locations, different compensation guidelines may apply. You may find the salary ranges for additional locations below. If the salary range is not listed for the location you are applying to, our Talent Acquisition team will provide further information to you relevant to your location.
Additional location(s) Compensation Information:
San Francisco Residents Only: We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance
Los Angeles Residents Only: We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance
Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.
Employee Status:
Regular
Relocation:
Domestic/International
VISA Sponsorship:
No
Travel Requirements:
25%
Flexible Work Arrangements:
Hybrid
Shift:
1st - Day
Valid Driving License:
No
Hazardous Material(s):
NA
Job Posting End Date:
11/25/2026
*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.
